When Genoa unmercifully sacked Gian Piero Gasperini last November, after a defeat at Palermo left them with just 11 points from ten matches, it marked the end of an era for what is now the city's only Serie A side. Genoa had played arguably their best football in decades in getting promoted from the Serie B at the end of the 2006-07 season then finishing 2008-09 in fourth place, when only a worse head-to-head record to Fiorentina prevented them from gaining a place in the Champions League preliminary round. Their rapid, flamboyant rise had sent the red-and-blue half of town into rapture and inspired owner Enrico Preziosi to generate a nickname for Gasperini (who signed a two-year contract with Inter on Saturday) that spread like bushfire among the Genoa fans: "Gasperson".
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